What to Do in Tel Aviv: The Black Book

Tel Aviv as a food capital might not have the splashy inventiveness of Copenhagen or the Michelin tally of San Sebastian, but its approach—everything fresh and locally sourced, prepared with minimal fuss—is exactly how we want to eat right now.

The street food—hummus, falafel, tabbouleh—has always been legendary. This is a city where the pita joints and hummusiyas are de facto social hubs (“they are so packed you often end up eating outside, next to a doctor and across from a soldier,” says Israeli-born American chef Michael Solomonov, and the frenetic, massive markets where locals haggle for measures of za’atar and nosh on olives at wine bars stretch on for blocks. Over the last decade, chefs like Eyal Shani and Raz Rahav have been using staples synonymous with the country—eggplant, bulgur, cumin, chickpeas—and honoring home-style Israeli cooking by keeping their dishes simple. (Shani’s Miznon chain—which is also in Vienna and Paris—roasts a whole head of nearly un­adorned cauliflower that draws lines out the door.) It makes sense New Israeli cuisine has achieved global status, as anyone who’s tried to book a table at London’s Ottolenghi knows. But what really sets Tel Aviv apart is its other attributes—white sand beaches, Bauhaus architecture, a relentless club scene that can win over even the staunchest of homebodies. And the city is eminently walkable—which makes getting your sabich near Meir Park that much easier.

THE BASICS

Country: IsraelPopulation: 426,138Predominant Languages: Hebrew, Arabic, EnglishFounded: 1909Minutes to central Tel Aviv by train from Ben Gurion Airport: 12How to Get There: Delta and El Al offer daily nonstops from major hubs, including JFK and LAX.How Long to Stay: Three days. But tack on at least two for sightseeing in Jerusalem, just an hour away.

Welcome to the Tech Capital of the Middle East

Here are three of the best apps made in—and for—the city.

Artbit This up-to-the-minute app lets you know about the latest graffiti show on Shenkin Street and which artist studios are open in Jaffa at the exact minute you’ll be there.

EatWith Join other travelers and local foodies and chefs for a home-cooked meal in a Tel Aviv residence.

Gett This local version of Uber lets you arrange a ride in a (vetted) private car for cheaper-than-cab fares.

WHERE TO EAT

Where You’re Sitting Down

No one in town does New Israeli food quite like celebrity chef Eyal Shani, whose empire includes pita chain Miznon (with succulent chicken, lamb, and roast veggies) and chef’s table–style HaSalon. It’s no wonder the Paris Miznon and his seven-year-old Tzfon Abraxas made our “Where in the World to Eat” list for its chraimeh (fish baked in spicy tomato sauce), vibrant beet carpaccio, and whole roast cauliflower, which is arguably the most trending Israeli dish around the world these days. Shani now has some hometown competition: Yossi Shitreet, who makes every ingredient count at

Claro , a high-ceilinged dining room in an iconic Templar-style building a short stroll from the Sarona Market, where weekend brunch means green shakshu­ka—a mini-skillet of yogurt, feta, spinach, eggs, and challah—topped with herbs from the restaurant’s garden and made with ingredients from nearby small farms and producers. Arguably the most upscale take on the movement comes from Raz Rahav, a 25-year-old wunderkind whose eight-month-old restaurant

OCD, 15 minutes south of the center, has two nightly seatings and is booked out weeks in advance for his nine-course tasting menu, which may include purple sweet potato tuile, grilled duck hearts with corn cream, and bay leaf crème brûlée with celery sorbet. After all that food, you’re sure to need a digestif—grab a nightcap around the corner at Par Derriere.

Inside Claro.

Photo by Sivan Askayo

Yes, You Can (and Should) Get Lost in the Food Markets

CarmelYou’ll find both the traditional (Yemenite jachnun pastry stands) and the trendy (microbrew spot Beer Bazaar) inside the city’s largest market, which has food stands, lunch trucks, coffee and cocktail bars, and restaurants, all a ten-minute walk from the city center. Just remember, it’s closed on Saturdays.

LevinskyThis five-block-long emporium comes to life on Fridays, when locals from the nearby Florentin neighborhood kick off the weekend with hummus from Garger HaZahav and espresso at Café Levinsky. Souvenir-seeking travelers should hit up spice shop Pereg for petite packages of dried Israeli chilies and sumac.

SaronaMore upscale compared with the others, this central glass-ceilinged spot has over 90 shops and restaurants popular with an after-work crowd who sip Israeli chardonnays at the sleek Tasting Room wine bar before feasting on prime rib at

PRO TIPS FROM OUR LOCAL GUIDES

What Chef/Food Writer Ruthie Rousso Does Off the Clock

“I’ll start with . . . the world’s best coffee at Cafelix, off boutique-filled Sheinkin Street. After that, it’s a quick stroll along Rothschild Boulevard in the White City to Sommer Contemporary Art gallery to see Israeli works like photography from Adi Nes.”

“Then for lunch . . . I pop into Hanan Margilan for Azerbaijani dushbara (meat-filled-dumpling soup) and an icy vodka. It’s delicious, affordable, and far from fancy. Afterward, I’ll browse the racks at Story, where they sell my favorite local brand, Zucker.”

“To catch the sunset . . . I bike from north to south on HaYarkon Street. After about ten minutes, the coastal vista opens up all the way to Jaffa, which always makes my heart skip a beat.”

HaBasta, a super-laid-back spot steps from the Carmel Market. It’s great for small plates like charred okra, cherry tomatoes, and preserved lemons, served with a crisp glass of Israeli white wine.”

Spot the Tel Aviv skyline through Jaffa's stone arches.

Getty

Make a Day of It in Jaffa

This historic hood in the south of the city resurged a couple of years back thanks to immigrants from France, Iran, and elsewhere who opened bars, bistros, and galleries here. Jaffa is a microcosm of Tel Aviv itself—a place where young tech types meet over citrusy margaritas, and cyclists zoom past gossiping savtas (grandmothers) in narrow Old Town alleys lined with hundred-year-old churches, historic synagogues, and mosques like the 1812 Mahmoudiya.

To get there, you can take a longish walk (45 minutes) along the promenade from Gordon Beach—or rent a Tel-O-Fun city bike for a ten-minute ride. You’ll know you’ve arrived once you spot the recently restored Clock Tower, one of seven in the country built under Ottoman rule. Continue a few blocks south to the Flea Market, where locals hawk a hodgepodge of rugs, vintage threads, pottery, and silverware (hit
up the ATM beforehand—the stalls are cash only). But don’t miss the indie boutiques two blocks west of the market. At Zielinski & Rozen, perfumer Erez Rozen will blend a personalized scent from oils like lavender and lilac.

Right across Ami’ad Street, homewear and fashion designer Sharon Brunsher sells slinky dresses and knitted leather tanks. Take a breather at the five-month-old Ramesses café, where you have to get the tender lamb kebab. Then walk to the Jaffa waterfront to watch surfers riding one last sunset wave, and Instagram a shot of the mosque and Old Jaffa in the background. Après-sunset, grab a gin and tonic at Anna LouLou, a small, grungy underground bar with DJs, mismatched furniture, and dancing.

The Norman Tel Aviv 's 50 rooms are still some of the most desirable in town. Inside, you’ll find hand-carved beds, sculptures from Israeli artists like Sigalit Landau, and a mid-­century-style cocktail bar with green leather stools. The only downside is that you have to shuttle to the beach. But once you see the rooftop infinity pool, you may not even want to.

White Villa Tel AvivThe recent wave of European immigrants is influencing the hotel scene. A Roman, for example, turned a 1948 Le Corbusier–inspired mansion into this intimate inn overlooking Ben Tzion Boulevard. It feels like an Italian home, with 18 white-on-white rooms (many with private gardens or patios).

WHERE TO DRINK

With Nightlife Like This Who Wants to Sleep?

Dimly lit wine dens, rooftop bars, and open-all-night clubs make Tel Aviv the hands-down party capital this side of the Med (sorry, Beirut). Luckily, the spots that matter are within walking distance of each other—or at most a short Gett ride away, which is actually a better option once you’re three araks deep.

Start your evening at 9 p.m. in the south-central Little Tel Aviv neighborhood at Kuli Alma, a bi-level warren of indoor/outdoor spaces with roving exhibitions (recently featured: Drake portraits and NBA cutouts) and two DJs spinning into the wee hours. A five-minute walk will get you to Nanotchka, a vegan eatery by day that bizarrely morphs into an all-out dance party come nightfall. Next, hop a ten-minute ride up Rothschild, past illuminated Bauhaus buildings, to grab a nightcap at Bellboy Bar, a quirky speakeasy inside the

Hotel Berdichevsky where the cocktails have a Middle Eastern twist (sesame-infused bourbon or carob syrup, anyone?). From there, join the beauties in their Louboutins at rooftop bar Suramare, where the neon sign promises “drinks and happy food.” It delivers on both (the calamari and the basil-mint martinis go down nicely at 2 a.m.), along with a bonus: killer views of the Tel Aviv skyline, both old and new.